Where to find historical planning and building ref documents?

[coffeeandmuffin]

Hi

I am trying to find out the planning and building regs history of our house (comes under LB Bromley). Nothing has come up of any use on the Council's website.

Does anyone know where historical planning and building ref records are archived?

I would also like to know this but for a different local authority (also England). 1930s.

www.planningportal.co.uk/

Have you tried here? Having said that all the old docs for our house (dating back to 2010 at least) are on the council planning website. Different London borough.

I don’t think you’ll find planning docs from the 1930s online.

Ah yes I realise this. I emailed the council when buying this house to ask whether the kitchen extension was legit, having already exhausted the planning portal. They sent me plans for a 1950s garage (which still stands) but nothing else. What I'm after, apologies for hijack!, is the original building plans.

I think historic documents are archived somewhere like National Archives or London Metropiolitan Archive but it's trying to find a needle in a haystack. I've tried the local reference library too!

I don.'the think planning was regulated until the 1940's either but I want to find historic drawings post then approved for an extension to our house.

www.buildinghistory.org/regulations.shtml says there was a Local Government Act of 1858 which "permitted local boards in England and Wales to require the deposit of plans for any new buildings or alterations". That's it until 1990 building regulations though.

Thank you

If it’s been there a long time and no one has objected yet you are unlikely to get into any trouble if that’s what you are concerned about.

Has your local council an HER (historic environment record)? The HER officer may well be able to point you in the right direction, or perhaps any Conservation officers?

I can enquire about HER. I am particularly interested in seeing where drains are positioned.

Contact your local authority planning officer and also Building Control and ask for the information. I used to have to do this regularly through work. Some would go back decades and they can send through the documents. I can’t remember for Bromley but I think theirs go back quite far. Most local authorities haven’t got all their records online but they do have them in archives.

The other place to look is the legal documents from when you bought the house. There’s a planning search done then. When we bought ours the records went back to the 1950s.

Phone Bromley's planning department. You can ask to see any documents they have about your house, subject of course to current restrictions.

Try London Metropolitan Archives.

For drainage plans ask your water board. They should have been provided with your searches.